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Topic Started: Sep 9 2008, 12:35 PM (52 Views)
John	Sep 9 2008, 12:35 PM Post #1
Administrator Posts: 91 Group: Admins Member #1 Joined: Aug 24, 2008	Jessie Farrell bridges country and pop By Chinta Puxley THE CANADIAN PRESS Jessie Farrell performs at the Canadian Country Music Awards in Regina Monday, September 10, 2007. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Troy Fleece WINNIPEG - With the most nominations of any country artist this year and a striking head of flame-red hair, she's likely to be one of the most-watched performers at the Canadian Country Music Awards on Monday night. But the moment Jessie Farrell is most anticipating isn't playing her hit "Best of Me" in front of the Winnipeg crowd or possibly hearing her name called in seven different awards categories. It's the moment when the 30-year-old from Vancouver can slip into her pyjamas at the end of the night with a hot cup of tea and absorb the fact that a decade's worth of hard work and a lifetime of listening to country music is finally paying off. "I'm trying to treat this like a grape you pull off the vine. You eat it and it's absolutely delicious. You just enjoy it and appreciate it," Farrell said in an interview from her Vancouver home. "I'm trying not to think too much about how things are going to work out ... I'm going to try and be in the moment and enjoy it." But that hasn't stopped her from lobbying hard on Facebook and her own website for the award that means the most to her - the fans' choice trophy. It's all part of trying to remove that stubborn "up-and-coming" description from popping up in front of her name. Farrell, who is often compared to Shania Twain, admits she is following in the footsteps of the Timmins, Ont., singer. Farrell's songs, much like Twain's, try to bridge the narrowing divide between new country and pop music. Farrell said she listened to country legends such as Bonnie Raitt and Emmylou Harris while she was growing up, but her radio was often tuned to pop stations. "I'm starting in the country world and if it happens to cross over (to pop), then great. For me, what's really cool is when I hear people say to me - which I hear a lot - 'I didn't listen to country music and then I heard your song and now I listen to country music.' I love that idea." If Farrell is Vancouver's answer to Shania Twain, Gord Bamford is Alberta's Garth Brooks. His hit "Blame It On That Red Dress," with his strong honky-tonk voice, has earned him four nominations and a performance at this year's awards. Pop influences might be seeping into today's country music, but Bamford said he's "not a guy who follows a lot of trends." It's all about producing music that average folks can relate to. "Sticking to your guns and doing what you're capable of doing to the best of your ability is the best way to go about things," said Bamford, who will be performing his song at the awards. "Pop crossing over to country, if it works for those guys, great. But I still think that country music is well and alive as a traditional sound." If they were giving out an award for the most novel form of transportation, Deric Ruttan would walk away a winner. Ruttan, who is nominated for four awards and will share the stage with Randy Bachman to close the show, drove all the way from Toronto in the splashy Gibson guitar bus. But the high point for Ruttan - country's self-described Bruce Springsteen - isn't finally stepping off the bus in Winnipeg but rather being nominated for best album of the year. Since Ruttan is involved in every aspect of his albums from graphics and producing to songwriting and singing, that award category covers it all for him. "I'm just looking forward to a great night," said Ruttan, who was born and raised in Ontario but now lives in Nashville. "It's a celebration of Canadian talent and Canadian country music. It's not really about who walks away with what award." Terri Clark is hosting the awards evening, which will feature performances by Bachman, Doc Walker and Emerson Drive. The show will be broadcast on TV at 8 p.m. in most time zones. It will also be broadcast in the United States and in Australia Edited by John, Sep 9 2008, 12:37 PM.



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